On The Butcher's Block
NOTE: On The Butcher's Block is a fictional story that takes place during the Thousand Year Blood War, and deviates from canon in an alternate universe. This story should not be confused with any established canon material and is the author's re-imagining of certain scenarios within that timeline. Instead of Captain Commander Yamamoto interrupting Driscoll's attack on Hisagi, Kensei Muguruma intervened to save his lieutenant. Exposition: The Story So Far... Soul Society faces the brink of total annihilation from an enemy long since forgotten and thought to have been all but extinct: The Quincy. Appearing as ghosts from a haunted past, the mighty Wandenreich erupt onto the battlefield with huge pillars of blue flames causing widespread damage to the landscape and raining down dense Reishi particles all throughout Seireitei. From these flames, like phoenix risen from the ashes, a group of powerful enemies called the Sternritter have proceeded to destroy the Gotei's defenses, cutting a bloody path through its soldiers and engaging the captains and lieutenants in direct combat. Their ruler, the Great Quincy King Yhwach, once considered a legend, has begun a campaign to destroy the Shinigami just as they did the Quincy 200 years ago and sets his eyes on reclaiming the world in nine days. As each member of the Gotei 13 battles for their lives, 9th Division Lieutenant Shūhei Hisagi finds himself overwhelmed by Sternritter "S", Driscoll Berci. Powerless against the towering Quincy, he could only watch as his opponent prepared a massive Heilig Pfeil aimed directly at him. Driscoll clutched the large arrow as if wielding a javelin and threw the attack towards a crippled Hisagi. The Sternritter laughed maniacally at the prospect of adding another lieutenant to his kill count, further increasing his own power through his Schrift, a power granted to them by Yhwach to further serve his goals. As Hisagi watched hopelessly as the attack came at him, his thoughts raced through his head of failure and disappointment with himself. Would this be his end? Would this be how the lieutenant would face a true death? Just before the attack could connect, a wave of white light struck the large arrow and exploded in front of Hisagi. Its force ripped through the area, causing the shingles on nearby rooftops to tear off and the cobblestone floor to crack. A loud roar rang out as it exploded and Driscoll quickly aimed his sights on the source of the blast. Captain Kensei Muguruma stood there with his Zanpakutō in hand. Tachikaze was already in its Shikai form, clutched tightly in Kensei's hand as a long trail of white smoke left from it. The Gotei Captain stared at his opponent with the same serious expression he's known for. Kensei was not one for idle chit chat or foolishness. He was a decisive individual, hardened through the century as a warrior without compromise or fear. No matter the challenge, or the threat in front of him, Kensei would face his enemy head on without mercy or compassion. He had been humiliated with his last battle against the now deceased Arrancar, Wonderweiss Margela, and now he was more determined then ever to never fall the same way again. I. Kensei Muguruma vs Driscoll Berci The crater still smoked as Driscoll let out another bout of maniacal laughing. Hisagi looked towards his captain as he walked over towards him. His body still frozen in pain, Hisagi barely had the strength to speak. "C-Captain..." But his words were cut off almost immediately by Kensei. "Try not to look so pitiful, Shuhei." The captain said as he walked directly between the lieutenant and the Sternritter. He never looked back at Hisagi when he spoke. Instead, he remained entirely focused on the enemy in front of him. Driscoll continued to grin, his smile permeating murderous intent. "Mashiro!" He yelled out and over towards a nearby rooftop appeared the bubbly former lieutenant. Mashiro Kuna landed on her feet, smiling wide as she struck a pose she's known for doing. She thrust her arm straight into the air while the other bent and was placed firmly on her hip. "Super Lieutenant Mashiro Kuna reporting for duty!" She yelled out and then brought her outstretched arm in an arc to her side and then quickly brought her hand to her forehead as if saluting. Everything about her needed to be grand, and if its not grand entrance then its not an entrance at all. Shuhei looked dumbfounded as he stared at Mashiro, wondering how she could be so playful at time like this. "Looks like the baby co-lieutenant is on the ropes already." Mashiro mocked Hisagi, bending over and waving a finger in the air. "Tisk, tisk. But don't worry, the real heroes are here now." She said and you could almost see the stars around her as if she were living in a comic book. "Mashiro, knock it off." Kensei scolded. "Take Shuhei and get out of here." He said, never taking his eyes off Driscoll. "But, Kensei...." Her voice turned high pitch and into a nag. Her face sunk into an almost comical depression. "Do it now, Mashiro!" Kensei ordered with a stern voice, causing the air to tremble when he said it. Mashiro simply sighed, letting out a small breath as her body slumped over. She instantly disappeared from the rooftops and appeared in front of Hisagi, her arm under his shoulder and slung the battered lieutenant onto her. Hisagi appeared hesitant to leave, initially resisting the choice of leaving his lieutenant. "Now, now, mini-lieutenant. You'll only get in the way." And before Hisagi could say anything, the two disappeared from the battlefield, leaving only Kensei to face Driscoll. "You let my kill get away." Driscoll spoke with a deep, guttural voice, one that naturally complimented his imposing frame. He once again placed a massive hand on his forehead, smiling sinisterly at the captain. "I don't know if you heard what my Schrift stands for, but I'm Sternritter "S", Driscoll..." "I don't care." Kensei blatantly interrupted the Quincy before he could announce himself any further. This seemed to catch Driscoll off guard as his face flashed sudden irritation, his smile retreating back under his thick lips. "Your Schrift or whatever stands for "Shithead" for all I care. You came here to fight. I'm not wasting time with formalities." Driscoll growled with amusement, flashing another grin at the bold captain. "Tough talk coming from such a small man." Driscoll spread his arms out and declared loudly, "I am Sternritter "S", Driscoll Berci, The Schlachter (大量虐殺 (ザ・シュラクター), Za Shurakutā; German for "Butcher"; Japanese for "Massacre") and my power only grows with the more souls that I kill. Be them friend, foe or beast, once snuffed out their lives only continue to further my strength. I have killed over 100 souls during this invasion so far. And I've even taken the life of one of your precious lieutenants." Driscoll seemed to revel at that last fact and watched as Kensei's eyes widened with shock. The only lieutenant reported deceased so far was that of the first division. "You killed Lieutenant Chōjirō?" Kensei's tone grew more serious as his brow pinched in the middle and the sides raised. "The old guy with the little mustache?" Driscoll responded, making sure to sound as though Chōjirō's death meant nothing to him. "Yup, sent his body right into your captain commander's office with one of these." Driscoll held out a hand and concentrated. White light formed in his palm that quickly expanded into another large Heilig Pfeil. Its energy arced from the large bands wrapping around his knuckles. The joy he seemed to feel for the death he caused truly made him among the most detestable beings Kensei has ever faced. Even when thinking about Kaname, Kensei could sense that the former 9th Division captain killed for a reason. Driscoll appeared to simply kill for delight. "I'm just shy of one kill to make it an even two hundred. Looks like you've just stepped up to the butcher's block." Driscoll pointed the massive spear towards Kensei when he finished his statement. Kensei's eyes widened immediately as Driscoll appeared right above him, the spear held up high. The Quincy smiled viciously as he drove the spear down towards Kensei. The captain instinctively flipped backwards as the spear struck the ground and exploded with tremendous force, blowing back debris all around them and engulfing Driscoll in a huge pillar of smoke. While Quincy are human, their ability to manipulate Reishi can yield superhuman abilities. By gathering Reishi under their feet, a Quincy is able to ride a current towards their desired location with speeds comparable to Shunpo. This technique is known as Hirenkyaku (飛廉脚, Flying Screen Step/God Step; Viz: "Flying Bamboo-Blind Leg") and is the reason Driscoll was able to appear instantly above Kensei. Even for a man his size, Driscoll appeared skilled enough to surprise the captain with his first attack. Through the smoke Driscoll came flying out. Trails of it streaking from his body as he soared. His arms reeled back with his hands balled up into fists. Kensei had just landed on his feet when he looked up and saw Driscoll coming down on top of him once again. This time Kensei rolled back and Driscoll smashed through ground with his fists and it cratered from the force. Slabs of earth jutted up at the edges. Driscoll wasted no time to continue his offensive, launching himself forward, this time with a horizontal punch. But with his size, his fist appeared more like a boulder when compared to Kensei. Kensei, still clutching Tachikaze in his hand gripped reverse so the blade pointed down instead of its normal way, threw his own fist to meet Driscoll's. The sheer force of both attacks colliding caused the air to ripple and the ground to tremble. Driscoll, still smiling, complimented the captain. "Seems like you got a little more strength than your lieutenant." He grunted through his teeth. "But did you forget about my spirit weapon?" Driscoll gestured at the thick band of white across his knuckles. Its began crackling with energy as arcs of it traveled outward. Kensei, stone faced and serious, responded. "Did you forget about my last attack?" Driscoll cocked his head back slightly, the smile straightening, and before he could say anything Kensei's fist shined brightly and a large wave of white energy erupted from Tachikaze and completely overran Driscoll, sending the large Quincy bouncing off the ground and crashing through a nearby dwelling. It creaked and groaned from the sudden intrusion, and its roof folded inward as the entire structure crumbled down. A large plume of smoke rose from the debris and Kensei retracted his outstretched arm and observed the wreckage for signs of Driscoll. Too easy, Kensei thought to himself, but from his years in service, as well as his shameful defeat against Wonderweiss last year, the captain learned to never underestimate his opponent. He remained cautious as he walked towards the debris, still holding on to Tachikaze in a defensive manner. At the center of the crumbled structure, large slabs of debris began to convulse and swell. Kensei halted and raised Tachikaze as he watched the slabs of wood and stone rise. Driscoll casually lifted a huge support beam with one arm, flipping over one of the still intact walls as he did. Undamaged, the Sternritter merely dusted himself with his hand and shook loose dirt from bushy hair. He fixed his cravat and cleared his throat. Driscoll freed his massive feet from the wreckage and flung his cape over his shoulders. He then readjusted his sights on Kensei once again, flashing a smile towards the captain's direction. "Pathetic." Driscoll said, taunting the captain with his inability to hurt him. "I thought a captain of the Gotei 13 would be stronger than this." Once he finished his sentence, Driscoll instantly disappeared, shocking Kensei who had lost sight of him during that moment. The Sternritter appeared to the right of the captain and drove his boulder sized fist into Kensei's abdomen, striking with the such force that the ground shook and released clouds of dirt between the cracks. Driscoll launched Kensei into the air, smashing him through several homes directly behind him. His body cut a path of destruction and Driscoll observed each structure explode. The last one erupted in a pillar of earth and wind, twisting upward like a tornado. Kensei emerged from the swirling mass unharmed, spinning with his Zanpakutō. The captain swiped the air in Driscoll's direction and a series of barely visible waves of wind soared towards the Sternritter. Driscoll, instinctively sensing the danger, leaped into the air as the waves collided against the ground underneath him and tore it asunder with violent force. Stone and earth sliced apart like knives cutting through fruit. Driscoll howled with laughter and prepared another Heilig Pfeil, forming the massive Reishi weapon is his hand and threw it with a roar. Kensei twisted his body and avoided the attack just barely. He could feel the energy crackling as it soared passed him merely inches from his face. The Heilig Pfeil flew a distance away and collided against the ground, causing a large explosion that engulfed everything nearby. Kensei had watched the attack explode and Driscoll took advantage of that moment to appear behind the captain with his fist coming down at Kensei's location. Using his speed, Kensei disappeared through Shunpo and appeared above the Sternritter, slashing at Driscoll. Driscoll rose his arm and deflected the sharp edge with his forearm. It made distinct clang sound when it connected, as if it collided against metal. II. Summoning Lightning Under Construction. III. The Butcher Under Construction. IV. Searing Flesh ''Under Construction. '' Behind the Scenes *The author wished to rewrite certain scenarios within the Thousand Year Blood War that took advantage of the Visored's power, and integrating them into the story in a way that proved them be assets in the war, and not simply killed off and defeated repeatedly in the current canon version of the story.